The Paladin Archives Book Two The Withering Falseblade

by Jason Psilopoulos

  “Relax Remec. It’s a party. You’ll get the chance to test yourself in a few days.” Cole leaned down a little, his face mere inches from Marcus’s. Marcus met his eyes defiantly. He wasn’t about to be intimidated.

  “This is not school. It is no test. It is battle. I am going to win this year. It is set in stone. You are going to lose. I will make sure of it. You were lucky last time.” The others had grown uncomfortably quiet. Marcus shrugged.

  “Nothing is etched in stone Cole. And luck had very little to do with it.” Aiko set her feet and straightened her back suddenly.

  “I am entered in the Swordsmanship Competition Mister Remec. If you wish to get to Sir Kasidyne, you will likely have to go through me, as I am the reigning sword master of Eriko.” Cole laughed out loud, his thundering voice rattling everyone’s nerves.

  “You?” he managed. “What challenge could you possibly be? My youngest brother has a foot of stature on you. And he is twelve.” Cole leaned in close and sneered at her. Aiko’s eyes did not waver.

  “I am your better in every way Mister Remec. You will have to beat me to prove otherwise.” Cole chuckled joylessly.

  “Go back to Eriko. Give your weapon away to more worthy warriors. Your place, and hers,” he said glancing at Rebekah. “is beneath a husband.” Rebekah tightened her grip on Marcus’s arm and he heard her take in a sharp breath. She was about to say something, and Marcus had the feeling it was going to be rude.

  “Why you sexist jerk! You want to go right now?” Rebekah’s statement wasn’t meant to be nice. Marcus looked at her with surprise. That’s the best you can come up with? he thought. Cole turned his boulder-like face to her and sniffed.

  “Brazen words from a twiggy, spoon fed, small-minded female. I could snap you like a carrot.” Rebekah scowled. She started toward Remec, but Marcus patted her hand. Rebekah cooled quickly. She hadn’t ever liked Cole Remec. The two just never got along. It hadn’t helped her disposition with Remec as he stood there being menacing to her date.

  “Oh yeah?” Marcus took Rebekah’s hand off his arm and turned to face Remec. The man stood to his full height, attempting to gain intimidation by his size. Marcus smiled ingenuously, placing a cup in the Krossman’s hand and patting him on the shoulder.

  “Take the drink . . . and walk away,” Marcus said quietly so his voice didn’t carry. Cole looked at him a second, trying to read his emotions. Marcus’s face did not waver in the slightest. After a moment, Remec stood again to his full height and grunted.

  “You’re mine,” he droned.

  "Yeah, we'll see." Marcus frowned as Cole walked away.

  “God I hate that guy” Rebekah muttered.

  “THAT . . . was Cole Remec?” Ian asked. Marcus nodded. “Not exactly a happy fellow, is he?” Marcus chuckled a little at that.

  “I think he’s still mad,” Rebekah said matter-of-factly.

  “Who cares,” Marcus said waving it off. He didn’t want to let Cole Remec ruin his night.

  “I do not believe calling Cole Remec a gorilla is the best way to promote peace,” Aiko interjected. Rebekah looked a little sore about the whole thing.

  “Ogre,” Ian corrected.

  “I call it the way I see it,” Rebekah said quietly.

  “I was perfectly comfortable never meeting . . .,” Ian said, pointing in Remec’s general direction.

  “An ogre?” Aiko offered with a smirk. Ian pointed to her slyly.

  “Exactly. The guy’s a real charmer.” Rebekah shrugged a little more and took her place back with Marcus.

  "Only when he opens his mouth," Marcus toned.

  “Good comeback, by the way,” Ian said. “Oh yeah?” he mimicked. Rebekah looked a little offended, before letting out an embarrassed chuckle.

  “He made me mad, okay?” Ian started laughing.

  “Last time I saw a guy make you mad, you decked him.” Rebekah nodded.

  “That reminds me. I promised Sabin a dance tonight,” Rebekah said simply.

  “I don’t think he’s here,” Ian said. “Something about his sister’s wedding, I think.” Aiko wasn’t sure what any of that meant. After a brief explanation and another round of jokes and pleasant conversation, Marcus heard the music change. Rebekah touched his arm and smiled at him. Marcus could see what she was thinking.

  “Last dance, my young man,” Rebekah said, taking Marcus’s extended hand. He pulled her close and the dancing resumed. He was scarcely aware of Ian fumbling over what to say to Aiko as they danced. Rebekah’s eyes entranced him. He looked at her and she at him, and the rest of the world no longer seemed to matter.

  Say it you moron, he thought. He tried to make his mouth open, but managed only the goofiest of smiles. In the end, he just looked at her. He relaxed his mind, and did his best not to force it. It would come. He just had to let the moment happen.

  “Marcus,” a voice said as Marcus finally opened his mouth. He looked to the side and felt his mind fall out. Rebekah turned her gaze also and Marcus almost flinched at the gasp.

  “Why’re you here?” Rebekah asked, her voice sticking of surprise and revulsion. Her mood soured further as her question was summarily ignored.

  A thousand thoughts ran through his mind. But what happened next seemed surreal. The press came running from all directions, flashbulbs popping and questions flying. Marcus felt his mouth drop open, taking in the sight that he had pondered over so many nights, and had grown to dread.

  “Did you miss me?” Marcus didn’t have an answer. His throat refused to work. He looked at Rebekah, whose stunned face nearly matched his own.

  “Um.” That was all he could manage. He stood still for a moment, trying to decide what he should do. And that’s when it happened.

  “Can I cut in Miss Norik?” Marcus saw it suddenly. The nightmare was playing in front of his eyes. The world was all lightning and shadows. Marcus blinked to keep from being blinded. A part of him wanted to say his code words. Lily’s frantic, he thought. But he couldn’t bring himself to do it. His mind was frozen. This was wrong. He couldn’t get his mouth to move. He had to remind himself to breath. He glanced about for a moment. No signs of Dread Paladins or attack from anywhere. Just flashbulbs and confusion.

  “Not a chance,” Rebekah spat. “I promised Marcus the last dance,” she said simply. Jennifer Burton eyed her curiously. Rebekah had managed to lose her shock and stood in defiance now.

  “I did that once.” The flashbulbs kept exploding and Marcus could not seem to make himself react. Jennifer Burton was back in his life. And she was early.

  Chapter 10

  The Evening After

  “You got a minute?” Donavan whispered into Marcus’s ear as the media started to press in around them. He nodded and ducked away behind a few SCTF officers. Marcus was grateful when Donavan pulled him aside. He’d needed the escape. He didn’t know what to do all of the sudden. And being uncertain was not something he dealt with very often.

  “As many as you need. Let’s go.” Marcus touched Rebekah’s arm, trying to reassure her that he would be right back. Rebekah’s face was just as stunned as his, but she nodded slightly.

  Marcus and Donavan walked into a small clearing behind the trees. Sage was waiting there, his eyes on a small gadget he was tweaking. The press had tried to follow, but Rebekah managed to get their attention. And the dozen Triumphant security officers that were holding back the press didn’t hurt either. Marcus reminded himself that she deserved a hearty thank you later.

  “We have a problem,” Donavan said simply. Marcus blew out his breath.

  “Yeah, well that seems to be going around.” Donavan frowned a little as he glanced at the media behind them, not entirely sure what that meant.

  “Too cool for your own good?” Sage asked, leaning against a tree. Marcus glanced over and shook his head.

  “I wish. What’s the problem?” Donavan laid out the incident on the bridge of the Triumphant and did his best not to leave out any fact he thought might be impor
tant. Marcus leaned back on a tree, pondering what he’d heard. Not that he was thinking too hard. He was keeping his senses tuned for anyone’s approach.

  “I think we can rule out Jacob and even Drandis on this one. Jacob wouldn’t employ something so dark and by your descriptions, Drandis didn’t seem to care enough to try. But then, I don’t know much about talking shadows.” Donavan tried not to show his disappointment. Marcus usually had the right answer to these kinds of questions.

  “We’ve already ruled out hallucinogens and insanity,” Sage offered. Marcus figured they had.

  “That leaves us with one or two unhappy alternatives.” Donavan nodded, knowing exactly what Marcus was thinking.

  “Dread Paladin trick, which isn’t beyond them.” Sage said as he tinkered with some uneven piece of hand-held equipment.

  “Or something entirely different and worse.” Marcus thought about it for a moment. If it was the Dreads, then they wanted Donavan to release something that only he had access to. But Marcus wasn’t sure what that could be. He shuddered to think what

  could be worse.

  “So, what should we do?” Donavan asked simply. Marcus glanced over his shoulder at the dance floor, just ten feet away. Rebekah was doing her best to field questions and Jennifer was doing her best to stay in the spotlight. Marcus frowned. He had a lot to deal with all of the sudden.

  “I can’t really deal with this right now,” he said softly. Donavan grimaced at that.

  “To be fair, I can’t deal with it at all Marcus. And I don’t trust anyone else around here with this.” Marcus turned back around to face him and frowned. He needed to focus. Flying shadows were a real problem. Jennifer and Rebekah could wait.

  “Sorry. I’ve just got a lot on my mind.” He took a cleansing breath and nodded. “Okay. Here’s what we do for now. Sage, I want you to comb the internal security logs of the Triumphant. See if the bridge recorders picked up anything. No matter how insignificant.” Sage nodded stiffly.

  “Simple enough,” he responded.

  “Donavan, I know you prefer fieldwork, but I think you should hit up the library and see if you can find something that matches what you described.” Donavan folded his arms.

  “Research?” he asked, unbelieving. “You want me to pick through a bunch of old books for answers? I wouldn’t know where to start.” Marcus glanced over his shoulder to Mary, who was doing her best to stay by Ian’s side. He had an idea.

  “I need a better idea of what you saw. I’m going on guesswork right now. Find me something a little more concrete.” Donavan still didn’t look convinced. “Think of it like building a court case. Or searching through mugshots.”

  “I’m not good with research Marcus.” Marcus put a reassuring hand on Donavan’s shoulder.

  “Why not get Sage to help you out. He’s good with information gathering.” Sage shook his head.

  “Sorry. I’m a little busy with my own investigations.” Marcus frowned at that.

  “So that leaves me alone again,” Donavan said quietly. Marcus glanced into the crowd. An idea struck him.

  “Don’t worry Donavan. I’ve got a consultant in mind.” Donavan wasn’t sure he had much faith in this plan, but he’d known Marcus a while. He’d run with it for now.

  “I was hoping you’d have a suggestion that was more direct,” Donavan said as he started away. Marcus shrugged.

  “I’m sorry there’s nothing to shoot Donavan.” Marcus glanced back over his shoulder, almost feeling the press starting to close in. “Oh, Sage.” The elven engineer stopped short at Marcus’s call.

  “I wonder if I could get a small favor.”

  This Jennifer Burton was really starting to make Rebekah sick. It took some doing, but Rebekah managed to grab a little composure and face the media. She wasn’t a fan of spinning stories, but the pictures in the news tomorrow were going to be full of scandal and speculation. She figured it better to massage the story a bit, rather than let it come out in a way that was shocking.

  Flashbulbs from a dozen directions danced around the two icons, making both of them squint just a bit. Rebekah tried her best to smile, but found herself recoiling back a shade. The lights were a little too much for her. She hadn't had to deal with the media in its full force in quite some time. Rebekah had done her best to avoid it. The effort had made her camera shy, and not a little bit rusty when fielding questions.

  Jennifer, on the other hand, was answering questions and striking poses like a pro. She was doing her best to make sure that every shot they took was of her good side. Rebekah marveled at her ease with the paparazzi. She’d never been that relaxed around these people. But Jennifer made it look almost like she was having fun with it. Rebekah knew better, of course.

  “What’re your plans while you’re here?” The question was barked just a touch louder than the others. Jennifer took no time answering.

  “I’m promoting my new book, which is number one in sales all over. It’ll be on sale in all the local bookstores in Littlefield tomorrow. It’s called the Green Grimoire.” Rebekah looked at her in confusion. Why did that sound wrong?

  Jennifer paused for a moment to allow the cameras a glimpse. “And I’m visiting an old friend.” Rebekah tried her best not to have a reaction to that, but it took restraint not to start dragging this girl around by her hair. The press didn’t need any of her help coming up with that story.

  “Is this friend Sir Kasidyne?” one of the more persistent photographers asked. Rebekah was familiar with him. His balding head and hawk-like nose revealed him all too easily.

  “I’m sorry Simon, but you’ll just have to guess.” Simon Houghton didn’t flinch at that. He seemed to take it as a personal challenge. Jennifer threw him a disarming wink, and he resumed his photography.

  "What do you think of Jennifer's arrival Miss Norik?" Simon asked loudly. Rebekah tried to think of something clever.

  "We're all pleased she could grace us with her presence. Hopefully it won't be for too long." The press chuckled at that. Jennifer joined them after Rebekah saw a bit of a frown cross her face.

  "You are just so funny Rebekah," Jennifer said, playfully slapping the Norikan princess on the shoulder. "I think we're gonna be good friends when this is all done." Jennifer threw an arm over Rebekah's shoulders as the two smiled for the cameras.

  "Not likely," Rebekah said through a pasted smile. A part of Rebekah was almost envious of how easily Jennifer brushed the media aside. She made it simple. She was in their world, but despite their persistence, she was not one of them. They could look, but in a strange way, they could not touch.

  “Miss Norik! How do you feel about Jennifer and Marcus getting back together?” Simon asked, his camera snapping pictures in a flurry of sound and light. Rebekah gave a weak smile and flipped her hair.

  “I’m just glad Miss Burton has found the time in her busy schedule to bring her unique brand of fame to Littlefield.” That didn't answer anything. Her statement was as phony as it sounded.

  “It’s always nice to meet a fan,” Jennifer jumped in, almost literally. She threw an arm over Rebekah’s shoulders and flashed up a peace sign in front of the camera. Rebekah tried to look natural for the second picture of the pair, but it didn’t feel right.

  “What about the two of you and Sir Kasidyne? Will we see you compete for the paladin?” a reporter asked. I'll break her like a wishbone if she tries, she thought. Rebekah opened her mouth to say something.

  “Maybe you guys should back off, huh?” Ian stepped up out of nowhere, assuming an aggressive posture. Rebekah wasn’t sure what he was doing, but she knew him well enough to know he had something up his sleeve. The photographers didn’t stop snapping pictures, but they did seem to get annoyed.

  “Who are you, kid?” Simon asked belligerently. Ian smirked.

  “A friend of the family.” Ian put out his hand, palm up. In it was a small disk. Rebekah recognized it immediately, covering her eyes.

  “Say cheese!” After a second, i
t flashed, and everyone recoiled. The light dimmed a moment, sparking and fizzling before dying entirely. Ian looked around and saw a dozen people rubbing their eyes and he smiled. With a quick flourish, he stepped through them and winked at Marcus.

  “All yours,” he muttered. Rebekah felt a pair of hands on her shoulders, pulling her away. She knew who it was, and she knew what he was doing, but she didn’t dare open her eyes, fearing Sage’s flash panel might blind her too. After feeling her body passing through brush and branches, the grip on her shoulders relaxed.

  “It’s safe to open your eyes now,” Marcus said as they broke through a bunching of shrubs and out into Nikko Park. Rebekah opened them, seeing Marcus standing and watching the horizon for signs of anyone following.

  “Interesting escape plan.” Marcus shrugged.

  “Best I could come up with on short notice.” Rebekah took his arm and started walking toward Ellen’s Landing. Marcus followed gladly.

  “I’m not knocking it. Just interesting.” The walk was quiet and the night air was cool. Being away from the Cotillion dance floor helped Marcus’s nerves a little. He kept his peace for now. He was trying to think of something that would make this all make sense, but it just wasn’t coming. He needed to talk to someone about what had just happened. And he needed someplace away from the hustle of the campus.

  When they arrived at Ellen’s Landing, it was clear that no one else had thought to come here. He was sure that some of the kids at the dance had tried their best to find places to be alone for a while, but Marcus was again the only person who liked to be here. He picked up a loose stone from the sand and tried not to think too much.

  “So, she’s back,” Rebekah said, sitting on Strebor’s Rock with her knees pulled in close to her chest. Marcus was weighing what had just happened. She didn’t think it was appropriate to step into his personal space just yet. “And she's early.”

  “Mm Hm,” was all Marcus offered. He stared out at the sea and fiddled with the stone. It couldn’t mean what he thought it did. He was sure it was a coincidence. At least, that’s what Marcus kept telling himself.